Please join us for our monthly meeting of the

St Charles County Democratic Club
Monday, October 16th

You don’t have to be a member to attend

Dr. Ed WeisbartFixing Healthcare:Medicare for All (starting at birth)

“Why Medicare for All is the Best Solution and How to Communicate the ‘Whys’”

Dr. Weisbart will give an update on the important reasons for all Americans to support Medicare for All, and emphasize how to best communicate these reasons in a manner that finds the common ground across seemingly uncrossable party lines. He believes we all have far more in common than what divides us, and will help us all find that common ground.

Ed Weisbart, MD is Chair of the Missouri chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program, a 30 year-old non-profit research and education organization of more than 21,000 physicians, other health professionals, and those who seek to improve Medicare and provide it for all Americans. He is a family physician, volunteers in a variety of safety net clinics, and is an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He served as chief medical officer of Express Scripts from 2003 to 2010, where he learned the importance of focusing on the business case for key strategies.

There’s a pretty good chance that it won’t be too long from now that Republicans will wake up and have an “oh shit” moment about Donald Trump being in the White House. It might happen in near-unison or it might unfold in stages.

Few people are actually good at admitting mistakes or acknowledging that they made errors in judgment. This is particularly difficult for Republicans who seem to have more certainty that they are right, about nearly everything.

There are times when we all must walk back from positions that we have taken. Millions of Americans once professed that Bill Cosby was the role model for all men – the ultimate father and family man. When word began to leak out about the way he sexually abused dozens of women, his support faded. At first it was with hesitation; later it had the momentum of a cascade.

Every day, Republicans are on the brink of disaster with President Donald Trump. The more executive actions he takes, the more nominees that he sends to Congress, the more abrasive his words are along with those of the likes of Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Michael Flynn and Stephen Miller, the more he backs other Republicans into a corner. The closer we get to the elections of 2018, the more distance they will want from Trump.

In the twelve days of his presidency, he has done more damage to Americans and global citizens than most presidents could possible do in an entire term. He has embarrassed himself unlike any previous presidents, except that he is immune to his own embarrassment. What he has not done is something as drastic as cutting entitlements such as Social Security or Medicare. He has not gotten the United States into armed conflict.

But once his failures reach a new level, his Republican “friends” will abandon him. They will plead that they never really supported him.

Some will say that in the seventeen months in which he was a presidential candidate and the two-and-a-half months in which he was president-elect, he got away with one outrage after another without paying the proper price. But now that he is actually in the White House, he has his hands on the levers of power. To Republicans, they may be toys to be bent, spindled and mutilated, but to the entire world they are serious business.

When things tumble, it will be an “oh shit” moment for Republicans. They will abandon Trump in droves. But this does not mean that the party will crumble. In the 1970s, the Republicans survived Watergate, and by 1980 they rose again like the phoenix and recaptured the presidency and both houses of Congress.

Most Republicans are less concerned about integrity than most Democrats. They can be comfortable acting like chameleons. As they do this, they still try to portray themselves as “America’s Party.” They succeed in doing so when Democrats are not united (almost a given) and when Democrats are amorphous because they do not present a clear progressive agenda.

If we had a do-over of the November election tomorrow, Clinton would win both the popular and electoral votes in a landslide. But it won’t be tomorrow, and next time there may well be different candidates for both parties. “Oh shit” is not the same for Republicans as Democrats. For Republicans, it’s just the cost of doing business. For Democrats, it means they’ve really screwed up.

It will happen to Republicans, and when it does, Democrats have to show how they contrast with Republicans. Get away from the big money, the sleaziness and the counterproductive policies. Give the progressive agenda another chance to shine.

Where do you live? How can you make a difference in your neighborhood and eventually in your world? Start now, start at the government levels closest to the people. Start making your schools, water districts, fire departments, and cities better by bringing honest and effective leadership. These are mostly volunteer or small stipend offices, but you can actually make a difference. The local municipal elections are on the first Tuesday in April. April 5th for 2017. We’re including the information about school board filling for the two largest districts in St Charles County. All the other ones will have similar instructions. All information you should need are available on the city or board’s websites. Look at the list and see where your service and energy could be a valuable change to your city or neighborhood. Not all of the governments have terms expiring this April so not all of them will be on the ballot. Look for where you are and find out if they are electing new leadership this year.
This is the best way to really affect your world and a way to learn the leadership skills you can use for the future in the larger parts of our governments state and federal.

Elective offices in St Charles County

Filing for April election opens Dec. 13

The Fort Zumwalt School Districtencourages qualified persons interested in running for a position on the School Board to file to be a candidate in the April 4, 2017 election. There are three positions available with three-year terms and one position available with a one-year term. Candidate qualifications are listed on the district website here or you may pick up a copy at the district office. Interested persons may file at the superintendent’s offices located at 555 E. Terra Lane, O’Fallon, MO. 63366. Filing will begin on December 13, 2016, at 8:00 a.m. and will continue during the district’s regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. Except for the first and last day of filing, filing will not occur on days that the school district’s central offices are closed due to inclement weather. Filing will also not occur on the following days when the school district’s central offices are closed: December 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and January 2 and 16. Filing will end on January 17, 2017, at 5:00 p.m.

Candidate filing for the April 5, 2016, election to the Francis Howell School District Board of Education opens at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, Dec.13, 2016, and continues until 5:00 PM on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. The three-year terms of current Board members Rene Cope, Mark Lafata, and Mike Sommer will expire in April 2017.Francis Howell School District residents interested in filing must do so in person at the administration building, 4545 Central School Road, St. Charles, MO 63304. Candidates can file between the hours of 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Filing will not occur on days that the District’s offices are closed due to inclement weather, or on the following days: Dec. 22 through Jan. 2, and Jan. 16. Filing closes on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, at 5:00 PM.
Qualified applicants may file for office beginning on Dec. 13 at 8:00 AM in the Superintendent’s Office by declaring their intent to become a candidate, in person and in writing, to the Secretary of the Board. A lottery system for ballot order placement for first and last day filings will be utilized. The candidate shall draw a number at random at the time of filing. The names of the candidates filing on the first day will be listed in ascending order of the numbers drawn and ahead of the names of candidates filing on a later date. The names of candidates filing on the last day will be listed in descending order of the numbers drawn after the names of all candidates who have previously filed on an earlier date.
To be eligible for the Francis Howell School District Board of Education candidates must be: a U.S. citizen; at least twenty-four years old; a resident taxpayer of the District; have (or will have) resided in Missouri one year immediately preceding the election; not delinquent in the payment of any state income taxes, personal property taxes, municipal taxes, or real estate property taxes on place of residence; never pled guilty or nolo contendere nor been convicted of a felony; is not registered or required to be registered as a sex offender; and has filed all required campaign disclosure reports for any previous elections.

For more information, contact the Superintendent’s Office at (636) 851-4026.

January 15, will be the final day to file Declarations of Candidacy for the City of O’Fallon’s April 2, 2013 election. Declarations of Candidacy will be accepted in the City Clerk’s office at the O’Fallon Municipal Centre (City Hall), 100 North Main Street, O’Fallon, Missouri 63366, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The April 2, 2013 election is being held to elect a Mayor to serve a four ­year term, and to elect one City Council member from each of O’Fallon’s five wards to serve three­ year terms. Each candidate must file in person, with a $25 fee accompanying each Declaration of Candidacy. Candidates will appear on the April 2, 2013 ballot in the order in which they filed. For more information regarding the Declaration of Candidacy, contact O’Fallon’s City Clerk, Pam Clement, at 636­379­5555 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.”

St Charles County Director of Elections office is in dire need of Democratic Poll Workers for the November 8, 2016 general election. There are 121 polling places within St. Charles County. Election judge is a paid position. If you would like information on becoming an election judge, please contact the office at 636-949-7550. The application form is available at this link : http://www.sccmo.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/5097

Stop by Shady Grove Chill and Grill at 1267 Jungerman Road, St. Peters, MO between 5 – 8 pm on January 21. Join Democrats from all over the county as we kickoff the campaign for the 108th. Ed Shew stands for families, our schools and our seniors. See his platform at his website www.shewforstaterep.com

Message from Ed:

“It’s time for new leadership and I will bring my lifetime of experience in the private and public business sector. I want to hear from you. What are your ideas for a better Missouri, for better schools, for better roads, and all the other ways state government can serve the people of Missouri? I’m not running to be something. I’m running to do something. With your support we can make a difference. We can win this race.”

On November 12 at 5pm the official campaign kick-off for Kenny Biermann, State Representative in the 65th will be held at Rookies Bar and Grill, 3721 New Town Boulevard, St Charles, MO.

All are welcome to the kick-off regardless of donation amount. Kenny served parts of the 65th as State Representative from 2008 until 2010 after his election success on the race to unseat the incumbent in the old 17th district. Kenny served his constituents well and will do so again with your help.

Kenny has served for many years on the Orchard Farm School Board and he supports local and state school issues that help our childrent get the best public education that they can. Kenny is a hardworking resident of St. Charles City and of the County.

With the General Assembly adjourned for almost a week now, we the citizens have had time to reflect on how the Legislature has failed to invest in everyday Missourians. The consensus among analysts appears clear: brinkmanship, pandering, and scandals have resulted in a “House of Cards” themed soap opera where ruthless politicians conspire and ordinary people ultimately lose. This negative assessment comes directly after the Republican Party has assumed an unprecedented super-majority in both chambers. Rather than sticking to campaign platitudes of “limited government,” Republican leaders abandoned their principles as soon as they were no longer expedient. Pushing a Right-to-Work bill through the Senate, which even Republicans describe as government interference in employer-employee relations, certain Republican senators pulled out every hollow excuse handed to them by wealthy, out-of-state interests groups to distract attention from their hypocritical actions before silencing bipartisan opposition. In this “do only harm” session, the extremist wing in the Legislature also failed to expand Medicaid, and slashed the budget for roads while leaving schools woefully underfunded. Because of unrestrained money and charades, Missourians have seen the moral bankruptcy of the majority party. In January, we lost Tom Schweich, a decorated public servant, to suicide after fellow Republicans waged an intense mudslinging campaign against him. Republican Speaker of the House John Diehl stepped down just last week after an investigation revealed his improper relationship with a 19 year old intern. All the while, the real corruption scandal between lobbyists, politicians and unlimited gifts continues undisturbed. The people’s interests will never be realized so long as legislators live in a bubble where interest groups stumble over each other to dole out free meals. Indeed, it certainly makes it easier to kick children off the social safety net on a full stomach. We the people must work to make sure this embarrassing last session in Jefferson City is not eclipsed next year. While elections to bring change to the Legislature are over a year away, we must act now to hold legislators accountable for their words and actions by advocating commonsense values shared by all Missourians.

When Rich Chrismer declared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “…state law doesn’t require curbside voting for disabled people but that his office offers it routinely as a courtesy,” he must have been reading from his own personal rule book again.

Curbside voting is not just a matter of courtesy. It is required by the State of Missouri.

The publication, MISSOURI ELECTION LAWS, issued by the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, includes Chapter 115 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri and states:

RSMo 115.436. “Physically disabled may vote at polling place, procedure.—1. In jurisdictions using paper ballots and electronic voting systems, when any physically disabled voter within two hundred feet of a polling place is unable to enter the polling place, two election judges, one of each major political party, shall take a ballot, equipment and materials necessary for voting to the voter. The voter shall mark the ballot, and the election judges shall place the ballot in an envelope, seal it and place it in the ballot box.”[Note, also: Sections 2. and 3. for additional information.]Mr. Chrismer goes on to confirm that a disabled voter…was told curbside voting wasn’t available…because of a staff shortage…two election workers had called in sick.

As a Program Specialist for the Saint Charles County Election Authority, I know Stand-by Election Judges are assigned for each election.

Two (2) Stand-by Election Judges could have been called to replace the missing election judges at Deer Run Library.

All Election Authority Staff reported to the Election Authority Office for work at 5:00 a.m. on April 8, 2014 for Election Day.

Two (2) Election Authority Staff members could have been sent to accommodate the curbside voter.

How many other polling places were insufficiently staffed? How many other voters were turned away?

There are no acceptable excuses for a five (5) hour wait and disrespectful comments regarding a disabled voter.

The St. Charles County Election Authority has a duty and responsibility to serve the public. Director Rich Chrismer receives a failing mark for this election.